Corvus Xisor
1184 PB - Present Corvus Xisor (Цорвус Хисор) is the Marshal of the Kreedian Empire and Lord of the Southern isles. Born into the famed Xisor house, Corvus, like all Xisorii, trained to become a strong warrior and Imperial General. Originally being known as a compassionate and relatively merciful Lord during his youth, Corvus eventually grew into the one thing he promised his Father he would never become. Xisoriian tradition dictates a stern and merciless attitude to warfare, one that does not allow for surrender or peace. Corvus respected the tradition of this, but always aimed to change the attitude of the Raider-folk of the South, much to the disgust of his highly traditionalist father Regnat. However, after the massacre at Lorem Ipsum and the loss of his close family, Corvus became the brutal and harsh commander his Father had always wanted him to be, a symbol of a true Xisorii. Corvus is most famous for his participation in the Third War, where he fought as one of the three main Imperial generals beside Emperor Tirius and Marshal Zane. History Childhood Growing up as a noble in the city of Prinmar, Corvus spent most of his childhood training himself to be a soldier. While his father, Regnat Xisor, wanted Corvus to take his place in the Senate, Corvus himself resented politics, and wanted only to serve in the then weakened Imperial Navy as his ancestors had done. He was often humiliated by his family's history, as before the founding of the Imperial city, the Xisors had fought against the Empire during the Unification Wars, surrendering when they were offered Legions and Lands by the Emperor. Corvus swore he would never surrender, and would try to redeem his family from a sin no one truly remembered. Corvus was popular growing up in the Xisoriian estate, often going out to drink and sail with his friends. However when he could, he spent most of his time in the vast gardens of Grapes that cover the lands of the Household with his Grandfather Atticus. Atticus was a retired veteran, who would entertain Corvus with his stories of the old days of Xisoriian glory. When Atticus died, Corvus ran the entire funeral in an extremely military and traditional fashion, something not expected of a child of his age but something Atticus would have respected none the less. Youth Corvus joined the Legions at 13, faking his age so he could get more experience. Beginning in an Auxiliary unit, Corvus quickly learned the art of Warfare. When his unit was almost completely destroyed and their Captain murdered at the battle of Lorus, the young Soldier stepped up to lead the unit. At the age of only 17, Corvus was one of the youngest there, but it was his heroics and logical thinking that allowed his unit to finish their objective and survive with no further deaths. Corvus was promoted to Captain, and quickly rose through the ranks. When Corvus was 21, he was finally appointed as a lieutenant of the 9th Legion. He helped win three battles in a row, making the 9th legion become extremely loyal to him. He earned the nickname "Lucky Corvus", and became one of the prime leaders of the 9th as his father and General of the 9th Legion became older. However, when his Legion was ordered to attack the fallen city of Ostracon and retake it for the Empire, Corvus met his first defeat. The Kraken Lord Aiden had taken the city and murdered its people, occupying it and preparing his army of Black Orcs to attack Asimium itself. Corvus lead an effective first attack on the city, and was able to breach its walls and kill most of its occupants. However, when Corvus went to try and kill the Kraken Lord, he made a fatal mistake. Underestimating the strength of of the creature, Corvus was almost killed fighting the creature. Losing almost half his legion to the creature and earning himself a large Scar, Corvus only survived because he had been nocked unconcious. Many said that it was on this day the Young, eager Corvus died, and what replaced him was a Vengeful, Cold General. This however only hardened Lieutenant Xisor, as the future would test him further. After the battle, Regnat stepped down from his position, and Corvus Xisor was made General of the 9th Legion. In his late 20's, Corvus was under the service of Emperor Tirius Krieg. Tirius, Corvus and Zane Hydra all supposedly had a close bond, acting as the Empire's three most famed generals. The group had very similar personalities, and would often lead campaigns together. The three had a friendly rivalry, trying to outmatch each other as best they could. This however did give Corvus a sense of equality with the Emperor, and so when Julius came to the Throne, Corvus struggled to be subordinate to the son of his friend. Regardless, the Three Generals of Kreedia marked one of the Empire's Golden Ages of conquest, helping spread Kreedia's glory far across the Globe. Although Corvus took the deaths of Zane and Tirius very hard, he knew it was the fate of any soldier, and so allowed it to encourage him further. Tirius's last with to Corvus was that he would look after Julius if Tirius were to fall, and act as a voice of wisdom. Corvus knew he would not be able to do this well, but none the less he stook to his promise. The Massacre of Lorem Ipsum Corvus's family was situated in the region of the Summer Isles known as Lorem Ipsum. Positioned in one of the great sunny valleys of the isles, Lorem Ipsum was completelly owned by the Xisors personally and acted as Corvus's personal estate. Corvus lived there with his wife Persephone and Daughter Maya, and the family would enjoy what little time they had together running around the great estate or exploring the hills that surrounded the valley. However, it is at Lorem Ipsum Corvus would experience the event that changed him completelly. On the 3rd of June 1214, a band of masked bandits attacked the Estate during the Twilight hours as Corvus was settling his family down for the Night. The Bandits killed the Guards on the Estate, and proceeded to massacre any staff they encountered. Corvus heard the Chaos, and tried to get his family to safety, using the tunnels he had built years ago for safety. The family was able to get far, however they did not reach the end of the tunnel, and were caught by the swift Bandits. Corvus fought desperately, but was stabbed in the back, causing him to fall unconcious. His Wife and Child were massacred, their bodies nailed to two crosses outside the estate. When Corvus awoke, he found his estate in Ruins and his family dead. It was at this moment Corvus became the Brutal General he is today. When he returned to service, Corvus vowed that he would never go home, for he had nothing to return too. He to this day has never found out why his estate was attacked, however he did eventually enact vengance on the Mercenaries directly responsible. Rumour has it that the group who had attacked Corvus's estate were looking for vengeance. Supposedly, after a younger Corvus had offered to spare the lives of a conquered tribe, they returned to avenge the fallen. The mistake of mercy is not one Corvus would make again. Later Career Near the start of his new Career, Corvus had won many victories for both Tirius and Julius Krieg. Although Corvus respected Tirius, he originally disliked Julius, mainly due to his young, bright attitude. Corvus served him none the less, offering him military advice whenever he could. This changed however when Julius heard of what had happened at Lorem Ipsum. He devoted all his attention to trying to find the criminals responsible with Corvus. The Emperor and Corvus bonded, the two growing to respect each other greatly, despite their differences. Julius and Corvus found the Criminal responsible, an individual known as Kortali Keeler, and had him and his bandits all executed. Corvus was now fully loyal to Julius and the Empire, but was still distrusted by many of the modern Imperial Generals. Corvus was able to crush several rebellions and almost completely destroy the Uhuru people, as well as landing many great victories against the Undead, Orcs and Terrans. 'The Rebellion of House Reynold' Corvus's father, Lord Regnat Xisor, was ruler of House Xisor and the Island of Old-Stern. Regnat had encountered many problems throughout his career, and he was seen as a weak and foolish leader. Despite all his mistakes though, he was the rightful ruler of the isle, and the Lord of the South seas. House Reynold, a minor house that was vassal to the Xisorii, deemed them unfit to lead the state, despite the Emperor's will to leave Regnat in charge, seeing him as a good man at heart.An old Regnat, depressed and unpset, retreated to his country house and would not leave. The Reynolds burned the house to the ground, killing Regnat and declaring themselves the Lords of Severus. Corvus, now a hardened General, saw this as a great dishonour to the Xisor rule. Mustering an army of great strength, Corvus marched toward the city of Reynoldport, massacring the army of the Reynolds. When lord Godfrey Reynold finally surrendered to Corvus, begging him for mercy. Corvus would offer none however. The entire Reynold line was destroyed, with every single family member being put to death, and the city of Reynoldport being burned to the ground. Olicana When Corvus heard of Julius's intend to ride out to Olicana, he intended to stop the Emperor from making such a foolish decision, presuming his illogical plan would lead to his death. However, Corvus had promised Tirius however that he would protect Julius, and so Corvus began to rally the armies of Kreedia. From the few men left in the city, Corvus was able to muster 100 or so men to charge out and save Julius. Corvus did just this, ariving to find Jehovah dead and the Orcish armies scattered. The armies were able to cut down any surviving Orcs, but Corvus could not find the body of the Emperor. He had failed, but Corvus did not return empty handed. He was able to find an artifact of great power, a Golden Coin. It is unclear when the effects of the coin started to change Corvus. Upon his return, he saw it has his duty to become the temporary regent and slowly try to rebuild the ruined heartlands of the Empire. He did this with some success, and records do show that the new Lord Regent was in fact looking for an Imperial heir and in no way enjoyed his position. Yet the coin soon began to influence his mind. He seemed angry, vengeful and power hungry. Corvus declared himself permanent Regent of the Empire, and began a tyrannical and corrupt rule of Kreedia. Although the Empire did expand under his reign, Corvus strained many of the ties between Kreedia and other nations, starting several wars. He spent most of his time in Genesis, hunting down rumours of Julius being alive so he would be able to kill the Emperor and maintain his rule. Rebellion and Redemption Following Julius's return to the city, Corvus's madness increased. Slowly being driven insane by an Aztrekari artifact, he planned to single handedly crush the Empire with his 9th Legion, a move that his former self would have seen as tactically terrible. Corvus first began with the massacre of Aralan City, in which he slaughtered the local senate and attempted to kill Emperor Julius. After a small duel with the Emperor, Corvus and his surviving men fled West, into the cold of the Akaveli mountains. In the mountains, Corvus's insanity grew. He began to distrust his own officers, many of whom were beginning to doubt their formerly unbreakable general. After returning from his campaigns in Kor'krani, the now scarred General Artorius Song was tasked by the Emperor with returning Corvus alive and find out if he truly was being driven mad by this supposed gold. Artorius rallied his 10th Legion and worked for a month to track Corvus's 9th Legion, eventually finding a trail of corpses as his men began to starve. Corvus was eventually found in a camp atop a sloped hill in the mountains, covered in snow. Artorius demanded he surrender peacefully and no harm would come to him or his men. Corvus, driven by his madness, refused, declaring the Emperor a coward and stating that, while he does not want to kill Artorius, he would if he needed too. One of Corvus's officers, seeing his growing insanity, was able to force Corvus down and knock him unconcious. Corvus was detained, and as expected, the Aztrekari gold was found. Cured of his madness, Corvus soon realised that he had become like his father, driven mad by the 'Xisor curse'. Shame filled him, he who thought he was incorruptable, and for a while he made no appearance in court. Yet when the time came and Julius went to see him, he did not beg for mercy or wallow in self pity. He told Julius to get on with his execution if he was going to do it, or to leave him be. Julius would not allow it, saying that while the blood of Corvus's crimes were on his hands, he could not entirely be blamed for his actions. Corvus was spared, and with time, this only helped rebuild and grow the respect he had for the now older Julius Krieg. The Emperor appointed him to become the new Marshal of the Empire, and Corvus utilised his reputation and power to silence any dissenters and rivals who tried to ruin his public image further. It is testimant to his fearful reputation that such an act as rebellion could be so soon forgotten, as those few who tried to remind the population rarely spoke out for long. Corvus had grown up haunted by his family's historically barbaric past, and as a result his betrayal changed him. Humbled by the realisation that even he, someone he considered uncorruptable, was fallable, Corvus's previously merciless attitude to traitors and cowards softened, although he made sure not to show it, aware that his reputation was powerful. After discussing with his nephew Lucan, he also decided to re-instate his inheritance of the Xisoriian estates and hereditary titles, making Lucan once again the heir to house Xisor. Personality Corvus is a complex and troubled man. In his youth, Corvus was an honourable and good willed individual. Often renowned for his mercy and kindness, Corvus would often choose to take a more honourable approach to any situation, even if that sacrificed his victory or optimal result. This was often taken to a ridiculous extent, where Corvus would go single-handedly to save villages of people that his army could not. He had a strong belief in the Gods, thinking that good actions were more important than any others. Under the watchful eye of his increasingly mad father, Corvus grew to be a brave, strong and honourable Kreedian General. This however changed after the death of his family. Corvus had been deeply in love with his wife, and held his child to be the greatest thing that had ever happened to him, despite all that he had seen. Their deaths at the hands of the rebels lead to a crude revelation for Corvus, one that would turn him into the brutal and unforgiving General he is today. His faith in the Gods was shattered, leading him to adopt an atheist outlook and abandon his former moral code. Victory became the only importance to Corvus, and he became entirely devoted to war. He became brutal, merciless and harsh, using his Legion's discipline to massacre countless in an attempt to strike fear into the hearts of his enemies. Although Corvus never took pleasure in this (unless it was in the name of justice), he saw it as necessary for victory, and therefore justified. Despite his often unjust actions in the name of victory, Corvus has a very strong sense of justice. He hates to see people go unpunished, and so often keeps away from politics, as he sees them as dishonourable and weak. Because of this, Corvus can be surprisingly unambitious with political moves, despite his expert intelligence and skill for planning. During his madness, Corvus's personality was consumed by that of the spirits trapped within the coin. He became even more brutal, tyrannical, and utterly selfish. This personality later vanished when the coin was taken from him, but it is this period in which Corvus committed some of his greatest atrocities, atrocities he cannot entirely be to blame for. Despite all of his faults, Corvus remains a soldier. He has sworn oaths to the Empire, and so is unbreakably loyal to the Emperor and Kreedia. After his honour was restored and he was forgiven by Emperor Julius Krieg, Corvus began to look at life differently. He was surprised at the Emperor's choice of mercy, and so grew to respect him further. Julius appointed Corvus Marshal. As he was respected by many of the Generals, Corvus did not struggle to fit into the role. His expert tactics lead to many reforms throughout the Legions, and his new found pride lead to him becoming an even braver yet still brutal person. Equipment * Burning blade of House Reynold * Necklace of the Xisorii Notes * Titles of both Corvus and Hendrik Stahnbrad were originally 'lord hereditary' of their respective provinces. Now, governor title is traditional, with most governors grooming a successor they nominate to the emperor. Corvus.jpg|Corvus as Marshal of Kreedia Corvus in the snow.jpg|Corvus lost in the snows of Akaveli Younger Corvus.png|A younger Corvus general xisor.jpg|General Xisor after the battle of Silvacaste Category:Character